Microsoft initiate phase two of new ad campaign

The Times says Microsoft’s ad firm, Crispin Porter & Bogusky, is no stranger to the concept of spinning criticism into a positive ad campaign. In ads for Burger King, the firm reportedly portrayed the consumption of an unhealthy, caloric menu as a “rebellious personal choice.”

As the second phase of Microsoft’s campaign unfolds, Bill Gates and celebrities like Eva Longoria, Pharrell Williams, and Deepak Chopra will join “everyday PC users, from scientists and fashion designers to shark hunters and teachers, all of whom affirm, in fast-paced, upbeat vignettes, their pride in using the computers that run on Microsoft operating systems and software.” The Times goes on to mention that Jerry Seinfeld will be AWOL “for now.”

A raft of blogs, like Valleywag, see the shift in focus as an admission that the original Gates/Seinfeld ads fared too poorly among viewers and assert that the change was unplanned. However, the same blog quotes a Microsoft PR representative as saying the move was planned all along, and “there is the ‘potential to do other things’ with Seinfeld.” The rep also pointed out, “People would have been happier if everyone loved the ads, but this was not unexpected.” Or was it?